


Some Things Never Change

by Bananagrump



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Idiots in Love, M/M, Past Character Death, Post-Canon Fix-It, Pre-Relationship, Protective Zack Fair, Slow Burn, Soft Cloud Strife
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:08:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24748120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bananagrump/pseuds/Bananagrump
Summary: “Cloud. I don’t know if you can hear me... but if anything happens, if anything separates us again, I’ll find you. I’ll always come back to you.” Zack walked away as Cloud weakly reached a hand out after him, trying to stop him.Cloud’s grief had overwhelmed him and he wanted nothing more than to see Zack again. When Zack found himself alive once more, all he wanted was to see Cloud.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 17
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

Memories flooded Cloud’s mind as he slept, dreams replaced with the harsh nightmares of reality. They began out of focus, muddled, and he felt himself flowing in and out of the picture. Slowly, the images became sharper as the memory set fully into place.

Cloud stared up at the stars, the night sky clear and fully illuminated by dozens of constellations that seemed brighter than the moon itself, and briefly wished he could count them. It was cool that night and Zack had set up a small, comfortable fire to keep them warm. He felt Zack move closer to him, mere inches between them now, and thanked those stars that he had the other man’s company. He felt anxious that night, but Zack being so close gave him a sense of peace, for which he was grateful. Cloud smiled to himself and heard Zack laugh. He realized the other man was watching him and felt his face flush, wondering if Zack was laughing at him. “You know,” Zack started, “I gotta tell you something. And it’s important, so I need you to listen.” His voice was serious, betraying the laugh that he had let out moments before, and Cloud felt the air thicken as his nerves set in once more. He watched Zack and felt as if he would stop breathing any moment when the other man took his time to speak again. Finally, he smiled softly at Cloud. “If anything ever goes wrong and it’s just us against the rest of the world, I’ll keep you safe. I promise.” He didn’t know what to say, so he settled on a smile before turning his gaze back up to the stars.

The image of a night sky faded away and was replaced by blurred machinery. Red lights flashed into place and the picture of the Nibelheim reactor became clear.

“Hey, you’re gonna be okay. I’ve got you, I’m gonna get you out of here,” Zack spoke softly. He cradled Cloud’s head in one hand as he placed the other beneath the small of his back to gently lift Cloud up. “I’ve got you,” He repeated. “I’m glad to see you both alive,” a voice called out from the entrance to the reactor. Cloud didn’t recognize the voice, nor did he recognize the man who spoke, who neared them with hands placed calmly behind his back. Shinra guards followed closely behind him, their weapons raised and ready for an attack. “Hojo.” Zack narrowed his eyes as he said the man’s name. Hojo laughed and brought a hand forward to point at them. “Retrieve them,” he ordered, and the guards immediately rushed towards them. Zack winced from his injuries as he tried to pull Cloud closer, trying to protect him. The guards violently ripped them apart, dragging them away from each other as Zack weakly attempted to reach for Cloud. “Cloud! Get your fucking hands off him!!” Zack screamed, but the guards moved further away. Cloud couldn’t speak, couldn’t yell Zack’s name like he wanted to. They were being taken from the reactor, he realized. He tried to scream, but nothing came from his mouth. He tried to fight, but he couldn’t move his body. He wanted to reach his hand out toward Zack, but he couldn’t feel his fingers. “Cloud!” Zack yelled again. He was desperately fighting, despite his weakness from his injuries. “Cloud, I’ll find you! I promise, I’ll find you!” Cloud felt his eyes become wet as Zack screamed those words to him, then succumbed to darkness.

From one memory, a new one formed. The darkness lifted and, once again, a picture was formed around him. Unlike the previous one, this memory remained muddled. Everything was blurry and bright, as if he had stared into the sun for too long, and he couldn’t see the details of anything in front of him. A voice entered his mind again, but this time it was muffled and far off, as if Cloud was hearing it through a closed door. 

“Stay here and stay safe, okay?” Zack said softly as he propped Cloud up against a large boulder. “It’ll be okay. I’ll get us to Midgar. You’ll be okay.” Cloud felt gentle fingers brush his hair and trail down his cheek. He could hear metal scrape against rock and shuffling of fabric. He pushed against the heaviness in his body, against the nausea that churned violently in his stomach, and lifted his head as much as he could manage to look up. Zack had risen from his place at Cloud’s side and his back was to him now. ‘No,’ Cloud wanted to say, ‘Don’t go.’ But he had no strength to say it. “Cloud. I don’t know if you can hear me... but if anything happens, if anything separates us again, I’ll find you. I’ll always come back to you.” Zack walked away as Cloud weakly reached a hand out after him, trying to stop him.

The memory was gone and Cloud was again left in darkness. Suddenly, his mind was immersed in white light and a voice spoke to him. Clearly and strong, it echoed in the void. “Cloud? I’m coming, okay? I’m coming to find you. Wait for me. Please, wait for me to find you. I’m coming.”

The light disappeared with the voice and Cloud opened his eyes. He was awake and alone in his dark bedroom. He sat up in his bed and glanced around the room. A chill crawled up his spine and he shivered as he clutched his arms. “Zack?” He whispered and prayed that he would hear him speak again. Empty silence filled the room and Cloud felt disappointment and grief settle in his entire body like a weight that would never be lifted. Something wet dropped onto his arms from his cheek and he lifted his fingers to his face. He realized he had been crying. He roughly rubbed the back of his hand against the corners of his eyes. Cloud was tired, not only from his restless sleep, but from the sadness that followed him like a shadow ever since Zack was taken from him. “Stop thinking as if he was yours,” Cloud said to himself aloud. He lay back down and rolled to one side, burying his face into the pillow. “Zack...” Cloud whispered again before he fell into a dreamless, voiceless sleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

White light burned brightly behind Zack’s closed eyelids, causing him to squeeze them tighter. He winced as a tingling sensation filled his entire body, like needles prickling his skin. He inhaled, partly just to make sure that he could, then slowly exhaled. “Cloud? I’m coming, okay? I’m coming to find you. Wait for me. Please, wait for me to find you. I’m coming.” Zack kept his voice steady as he spoke, despite the fact that his body felt like driftwood rocking back and forth on waves. He wiggled his fingers slightly and inhaled again as he braced himself. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The morning sky was bright and blue and he held in his breath as he stared up at it in awe. Clouds moved through the sky on a gentle breeze and the sun was warm against his skin, a welcome feeling that seemed so new to him now. Smiling up at the sky, he closed his eyes again and let the warmth ground him against the motions he still felt.   
After a few moments, the waves stilled and Zack attempted to move. The tingling sensation faded and was replaced with stiffness and he groaned a little as he pushed himself upright. What was left of Midgar sat off in the distance and Zack realized where he was. ‘I’m sitting where I died,’ he thought. He looked down at the ground, half expecting to see his blood still there, and noticed a small patch of blooming yellow flowers growing a few feet away from him. ‘I’m sitting in my own grave.’ Zack let out a laugh at that thought, despite the morbidity of it, and ran a hand through his hair. “Cloud, was this you? You would make a grave for me.” He leaned over to rub a finger gently on petals and smiled. “I can’t wait to thank you for it.”   
Something dark laying in the middle of the patch caught his eye, the stark contrast of it against the pastel blooms, and his smile faded. A black feather. Sephiroth. ‘So he came through too...’ He lifted the feather from the flowers and held it up to the sun as he stared at it. He thought back to the fires that raged and destroyed Nibelheim, to Sephiroth locking himself away, to the injuries he dealt Zack. Then he thought of Cloud’s last battle with him, when Zack had gone to Cloud to encourage and support him. He had felt Cloud’s pain in that moment and wanted nothing more than to replace that pain with peace. Sephiroth had ensured for too long that peace was an unattainable wish for him. Zack’s eyes narrowed and he balled the feather up in his fist. The last thing he wanted to worry about right now was Sephiroth. He could think about him later. All he wanted to do at the moment was find his way to Cloud. 

-

Once again, Cloud’s dreams were of past memories; some painful and some filled with a serene happiness, but all of them only served to fill his heart with mourning. He wanted to cling to the visions of a living Zack that danced behind his eyelids as he slept, but when he awoke he was reminded that Zack wasn’t real, wasn’t there with him anymore. Cloud felt himself growing more and more bitter with every night that passed. He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, and tried to push down that bitterness. He was failing and after a few minutes he decided to give up entirely. ‘All those plans you made... some life you ended up having,’ he thought angrily as he forced himself out of bed. Cloud walked over to his dresser where his PHS had been charging overnight and switched it on. Immediately, it made a dozen little “kweh!” sounds as messages flooded in. The message notification had been Tifa’s idea and although it irritated him for weeks after she had set it, the sound had grown on him. He scrolled through the messages impatiently, quickly scanning the words and who they were from. He had two from Cid, one in which he was bragging about his much needed vacation to Costa Del Sol, and the second was about how funny it had been to see Vincent take his advice and try sunbathing. He had one from Vincent as well, naturally he had shortly complained about Cid dragging him to the hotspot like they were tourists. Two were from Yuffie, asking how he had been doing and when was he going to come visit her in Wutai. Barret sent him a message telling him that his mission was finished and that he would be home to Marlene by the next morning. Five of the messages had been delivery requests and the last one had been sent by Tifa. Hers read “if you wake up and see this, let me know how you’re feeling. I heard you talking in your sleep and you sounded upset. Are you alright? I didn’t want to invade your privacy to check on you, so I thought this would be the best alternative. I hope you get some rest, Cloud.”   
He sighed after reading it, he hadn’t realized he was talking out loud as he slept. Briefly, Cloud wondered what he had said, but he preemptively felt embarrassed and hoped that she wouldn’t mention it to him later. Tifa knew him well though, if she did happen to mention it then it would be unexpected. He sighed again and read the delivery requests, confirming the nearest one. It was to be delivered to a small farm roughly 150 miles south of Edge, so he estimated the trip to take around 6 hours. ‘I should see if we need anything while I’m out,’ he thought.  
Quickly, Cloud readied himself and got dressed, then sat on the edge of his bed to lace his boots. A sudden sharp pain shot through his head and his vision wavered. Nausea rolled in his stomach and he jerked himself forward in preparation for vomiting. The blackness slowly faded, but he wasn’t seeing his bedroom when he tilted his head to look up. Instead, he saw a campsite under the stars. Cloud was sitting in front of a small fire and he leaned his head back to stare up into vast night sky above. “Hey, were you listening to me?” A muffled voice spoke to him. His eyes welled and his heart felt like it was burning as the memory overwhelmed him. The voice spoke again, clearly now, “you really weren’t listening to me.” A soft laugh followed, the sound of it forced a smile onto Cloud’s face and tears spilled onto his cheeks. He didn’t want to turn his gaze away from the sky, terrified that the voice would disappear like it always did, but the urge to see Zack’s face was strong enough that it overpowered his fear and he turned his head.   
Zack was smiling brightly and he let out another warm laugh. “Cloud? You still with me?” “I heard you,” Cloud answered quietly. “Oh, then why didn’t you say something? Or were you just not taking me seriously?” There was no offense in Zack’s voice, only amusement, and Cloud shook his head. “I was taking you seriously. I just didn’t really know what to say to you.” Zack gripped Cloud’s shoulder and for a brief moment it had felt real, as if it wasn’t simply a memory. “Just say you trust me. That’s all I really need to hear.” Cloud reached a hand up to close it over the one on his shoulder. “I trust you.” He tried to hold on to the hand under his as it slipped out of his grip and when he blinked again, the memory was gone.   
He was alone once again, back on the edge of his bed, one hand still hovering over his shoulder where it had held Zack’s.


	3. Chapter 3

  
Cloud’s head pounded as he walked down the stairs into the bar, distracting him enough to cause him to lose his footing on the last step and he had to catch himself to avoid falling into a large plant on the floor next to the platform. Tifa was busy washing glasses in preparation for opening that evening, she always liked to prepare early, but she dropped a glass into the sink when Cloud almost fell over. 

In an instant she was by his side, one hand on his elbow to steady him, and she eyed him curiously. “Are you alright?” Cloud’s face flushed and he quickly pulled his arm away from her. “I’m fine. Thanks.” Tifa nodded and backed away to give him some space. “Distracted this morning?” She asked with false humor in her voice and a raised eyebrow. Cloud could hear she was actually worried by the underlying tone in her voice. “My head hurts,” He responded shortly.   
Tifa motioned for him to sit and walked behind the bar. Cloud propped his sword against the bar and took a seat on one of the stools at the counter while she poured a glass of water and placed it in front of him. 

He thanked her before he lifted the glass to his lips. Tifa watched him carefully as he drank, he noticed, and it made him want to fidget from discomfort. He sat the glass back down and tried not to meet her eyes, but she continued to stare at him and finally he gave up. “You have something to say.” “More like something to ask,” She said lightly. He sighed and gestured with his hand, signaling her to go on. 

“Your eyes are red,” she started, “you’ve been crying, haven’t you?” He didn’t answer her, only picked his glass back up to drink from it again. “Cloud,” She coaxed gently. “Yeah?” Tifa leaned over the counter on her elbows a little. “Have you been having flashbacks again?” He had briefly mentioned them to her a few months before, but had avoided more conversations about them. He glanced at her and feigned indifference, “maybe a few times.” The look on Tifa’s face told him she didn’t believe him and his stomach churned slightly. 

“Cloud, we really need to figure something out about them. You haven’t been yourself in quite some time. I’m worried about you.” Her eyes were soft as she spoke and concern was painted onto her features. “I’m okay, Tifa. Nothing to worry about.” “But-“ She started, but he quickly interrupted. “Got a delivery. I’ll be back by dark. I’ll restock on supplies while I’m gone.” Tifa didn’t press, but said “don’t be too late. Marlene wants you to read to her before bed.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” He lifted his sword, placed it on his back, and headed towards the door. Tifa called out his name before he could close the door and he stopped. “Have you been to check the flowers?” She asked softly. Cloud was quiet for a moment, as if thinking on it. “I’ll go by there on my way.” 

He closed the door behind him before she could say anything else.

⁃ 

The sun beat down on Zack as he weaved in and out of small crowds gathered in the Sector Five ruins, and although it was hot it was a reminder that he was alive. Restoration still hadn’t been complete from Sephiroth’s attack with Meteor and the entire sector was a disaster. ‘Man, he really did a number on this place...’ 

  
Zack wasn’t used to having so many eyes on him, nearly everyone he passed watched him with careful glances, but he ignored them and walked with confidence. He could blame his Soldier uniform for the stares; he hadn’t been surprised when he realized he was wearing what he had died in, but given everything that happened Zack could understand the wariness coming from the strangers around him. Nevertheless, he risked a smile at the occasional stranger who met his eyes. 

Zack turned onto a pathway that he thought might lead to the church and bumped into a small child, accidentally knocking her to the ground. “Oh, I’m sorry! Are you alright?” He held a hand out and the girl pulled her own hands close to her chest as she looked up at him. She seemed to be a little frightened at him. “Good, be careful of strangers!” Zack smiled and drew his hand away. “I’m okay, thank you,” She said and stood up, brushing dirt off of her skirt. The girl’s long braid brushed her shoulder and it drew his attention to the pink bow neatly tied at the base of her braid. “I like your bow. A friend of mine used to wear one too.” 

She smiled up at him brightly, “Mine too! I like my hair like this because of her.” She lifted her small hands to pluck at the tips of the ribbon, “I think she was a real angel.” Zack laughed softly at that, “sounds like we had similar friends. Hey, kid, could you tell me if the church is this way? It’s been a long time since I’ve been here and I’m not sure I have the right direction.” The little girl wrinkled her nose at his question and tilted her head to the side. “The church?” She asked. “Not many people go there. Miss Aerith isn’t there anymore.” Hearing Aerith’s name surprised him, but he remembered she knew a lot of people since she had grown up there. 

“You knew Aerith? She’s the friend I mentioned.” “You were friends with Miss Aerith?!” He nodded at the girl and she beamed up at him. “Then I’ll show you the way! If she was your friend, then I trust you!” Zack laughed and thanked her, then the girl grabbed his hand and started leading him. She held on with tiny fingers and asked “what’s your name? I’m Marlene.” 

Zack felt comforted by the small, sweet presence of the girl that reminded him so much of his dear friend. “It’s nice to meet you, Marlene. My name is Zack.”


End file.
